Women workers in a munitions factory producing Sten Guns
1943 TIMELINE
1943 – The WAR, The UK, & LAKE FAMILY TIMELINE
In this section I will attempt to give a timeline of events from all perspectives.
What was happening on the war front, what was happening in Britain and what
was happening to Lake family members. I will highlight the
Lake Family events in Yellow and the Axis and Allies events in their colours.
By now the war had been raging for 3 1/2 years and there was no immediate end in sight. Britain was dug in to withstand more hardship with food rationing but the majority in Britain knew it had to be done to stop might of Hitler.
January
13 The age for conscription of single females in Britain is lowered to 19
21 Child born in Smethwick Birmingham to Flora & Henry Lake
March
3 Panic at the sound of the new anti aircraft rockets caused a crush at Bethnal Green
Tube Station killing 183 people
15 Kenneth Lake (my 1st cousin once removed) from California. In the US Air Corps
stationed at Fort Douglas Salt Lake City Utah USA
April
19 Henry Lake prescribed glasses at the Opthalmic Centre, Oaklands Camp, Manningham,
Bradford, Yorkshire
May
7 Allies capture Tunis ending the North Africa Campaign
13 Britain claimed to have more German prisoners than Germany had
British
16/17 RAF 617 Squadron carried our its latest mission “Operation Chastise” it became known
as the Dam Busters Raid
June
1 Anthony Eden announced the Empire casualty list for the first 3 years of the war
92,089 killed, 226,719 missing, 88,294 wounded and 107,981 captured
3 William Lake (my father) enlists into the army at Warley Birmingham age 29
No 14618094 Private Lake Royal Corps of Signals
18 Radar became the official term for Radiolocation
23/24 The Battle of Bamber Bridge took place in a Lancashire town between American Troops.
When 2 American Military Police arrived at the Hob Inn to arrest a black soldier who
was out without a pass, an argument ensued with British locals & British servicemen
siding with the black soldier. The MP’s left the pub to seek reinforcements and intercepted
a group of black soldiers on their way back, a melee broke out, guns were drawn
and several men were shot. Things got out of hand with machine gun fire in the streets.
It did not quiet down until a general arrived and placed a black officer in charge of the
situation. Private William Crossland had been killed, 3 men wounded and 35 arrested
These war years were the first time people in Britain were witnessing the troubles between
white and black Americans and their segregation policies, which did not exist in Britain.
25 William Lake was given 48 hour leave
July
1 William Lake passed CAP Gas Chamber Training
5 William Lake passed fired war course Rifle and Bren Gun
Rifle 50 1st Class – Bren 40 2nd Class
7 Henry Lake fails an army medical being graded "E" permanently unfit for military service
9 Allied invasion of Siciliy
14 William Lake completed primary training
17 Henry Lake Discharge Certificate issued to take effect from 13th August
August
2 U.S. Navy vessel PT-109 is sunk one of the survivors is future President
Lieutenant John F Kennedy
5 William Lake passed D M Gas Training
13 Henry Lake officially discharged from army but had to take up a reserved occupation.
Due to his previous work in metals he was sent to the Ministry of Aircraft Production
September
3 Allies invasion of Italy
25 William Lake was given 48 hour leave
October
10 Chiang Kai Shek takes oath to become Leader of China
15 William Lake has 7 days leave
16 Anti Jewish riot in Rome. The Jewish quarter is surrounded by Nazis and Jewish residents
are sent to Auschwitz
The US 1st Army establishes its headquarters in Bristol
23 The Burma railway opens
November
1 Herbert Lake (my Uncle) crossed border into USA at Sweet Grass County Montana
whilst in Canada with the RAF.
11 The total evacuation of the town of Portmahomack in Scotland began to make way
for a rehearsal of the Normandy landings
15 The allied expeditionary air force is established for the invasion of Europe
16 Total evacuation of the village of Imber in Wiltshire for US troop training
Also total evacuation of part of South Hams in Devon for rehearsels of Normandy landings
26 Colombia declared a state of “belligerency” against Germany
Prince Hubertus of Saxe Coburg, Great Grandson of Queen Victoria die
December
1 Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt & Joseph Stalin agree on Operation Overlord
now better known as D-Day
2 Conscription to coal mines in Britain is announced
Pigeons, White Visions, Wikie & Tyke became the first recipients of
the Dickin Medal to honour the work of animals during the war
3 The Battle of Monte Cassino began
22 Children’s author Beatrix Potter die
28 All Kalmyk inhabitants of the Russian Republic of Kalmukkie were deported by the
Soviet Union to Siberia. Many die on route
Also in December the construction of Mark 1 Colossus Computer the world's first
totally electronic programmable computing device was built to assist with cryptoanalysis
at Bletchley Park. It measured 7 x 17 x11 feet (2.1 x 5.1 x 3.3 metres) and was built
from standard telephone exchange equipment.
The Mark 1 Colossus Computer
at Bletchley Park